“One always feels besides the brilliance of Claire Huangci’s performance, a sense of depth in her music-making.” (Radio Bremen)

Claire Huangci began her international career at the age of nine, celebrated as a prodigy and playing in a concert for President Bill Clinton at the age of ten. Since then, Claire has been awarded many grants, performed numerous concerts and won several prizes, long out-growing the image of a prodigy and coming into her artistic maturity. With her technical brilliance, deep musical expression, playful virtuosity and her keen sensibility, she captures her audiences all over the world.

Though she only realized in her late teenage years that the piano would be her calling, at 21 years old she won Second Prize at the 2011 International ARD Competition as its youngest participant.

A special companion to her musical development has been the music of Frédéric Chopin. She was skeptical first, especially towards his challenging etudes, but fell in love with his ballads and sonatas. Over the years, her special bond with Chopin has deepened even further, having won First Prize at the 2009 International Chopin Competition in Darmstadt, Germany, as well as the First and Special Prize at the 2010 International Chopin Competition in Miami, USA. Thanks to these achievements, Claire Huangci is already regarded as one of the premiere Chopin interpreters of her generation.

Claire Huangci has acquired a diverse repertoire and has become one of the most sought-after pianists of her generation. She regularly proves her diversity and interpretational skills performing with well-known orchestras such as the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Roger Norrington, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Chamber Orchestra, the China Philharmonic Orchestra, the German Radio Philharmonic Saarbrucken, the Indianapolis Symphony, the Santa Fe Symphony, the Moscow Radio Symphony as well as the Istanbul State Symphony. The world premiere of Cord Meijering’s piano concerto ISIS with the Staatsorchester Darmstadt was a great success, and her concert with the Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg is one of the highlights of the 2014/15 season. Claire Huangci has performed in international concert venues such as Carnegie Hall New York, Tonhalle Zurich, Konzerthaus Berlin, Gasteig Munich, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Salle Cortot, Oji Hall Tokyo and Symphony Hall Osaka, also being guest artist at festivals such as Kissinger Sommer, Verbier Festival, Lodz Rubinstein Festival, Menuhin Festival Gstaad, Mozartfest Würzburg, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, MDR Musiksommer and the Schwetzinger Festspiele.

2013

Sunday, February 24, 2013 at 4pm
Old First Church
1751 Sacramento Street at Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco

The First Prize winner and the recipient of the Baroque Prize at the 11th San Antonio International Piano Competition in 2012, Lo-An Lin was born in Taipei, Taiwan. She has performed throughout the United States and other countries. She appeared in recitals in Seoul National Arts Center in Korea, National Recital Hall in Taipei, Taiwan, and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Her performances have been broadcast on WQXR FM (New York), KPAC/KTXI Texas Public Radio, and ABC Classic FM (Australian Broadcasting Corporation National Radio).

Ms. Lin was invited as the guest artist to perform a solo recital at the Kawai Keyboard Series at Queensland Conservatorium, Australia in 2008 and at the Chopin Society Annual Birthday Concert in San Francisco in 2013. Ms. Lin has also appeared as concerto soloist with the Queensland Orchestra in Australia, the Glenn Gould School Orchestra in Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, Canada, San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra, the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra, and the Eastern Music Festival Orchestra. She will be performing with the San Antonio Symphony in 2014. In 2007 Lo-An was featured in the American Music Teacher Magazine in which she wrote an article for the Music Teacher’s National Association’s collaborative conference with the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers' Associations and Royal College of Music. She was also interviewed by the MUZIK magazine in Taiwan for her solo recital appearance at the National Recital Hall in Taipei in 2007 and 2012.

Some of the highlights of her competition awards include: 1st prize at the collegiate division of MTNA Piano Competition in California, 3rd prize at the Corpus Christi International Piano Competition, 2nd prize at the Lennox Young Artists International Competition, 1st prize, and Audience prize, Concerto prize, and Best performance of an Australian work prize at the Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition, 1st prize at the National MTNA Senior division competition, and 2nd prize at the Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Piano Competition.

She is currently enrolled in the Artist Diploma program at the Yale School of Music as the recipient of the George W. Miles Scholarship studying with Mr. Hung-Kuan Chen. She graduated from the Eastman School of Music with a Master of Music degree studying with Ms. Nelita True, and received her Bachelor of Music degree studying with Mr. Yoshikazu Nagai at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as the recipient of the Janet Rose Piano Scholarship, where she was awarded the Young Artist Award and won their annual piano concerto competition.

2012

Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 4pm
Old First Church
1751 Sacramento Street at Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco

Sejoon Park was born to cellist parents in Seoul Korea, in 1990. He began piano studies at the age of six. His early accomplishments include orchestral debut with Busan Philharmonic Orchestra in Korean at the age of ten. He moved to the United States in 2001 and studied at the Levine School of Music in Washington, DC until 2006. Currently, he studies with Professor Boris Slutsky at Peabody Conservatory of Music. He also has worked with Piotr Palezny, John Perry, Peter Takacs, Larrisa Dedova, Nelita True, Natalya Antonova, and Lang Lang in master classes.

Mr. Park has won top prizes at numerous piano competitions, including Oberlin Conservatory International Piano Competition, the Pianoarts National Competition, Eastman International Piano Competition, Southeastern Piano Concerto Competition, and Aspen Music Festival Piano Concerto Competition. Mr. Park is the recipient of the Jack Kent Cook Scholarship Foundation in 2006 and was broadcasted nationally for performing on From the Top, NPR.
An active performer, Mr. Park frequently performs on major stage venues in Washington Metropolitan area, including the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Alexandria Performing Art Center. He has also made solo appearance with orchestras such as; Eurasian Philharmonic, South Carolina Philharmonic, AACA Orchestra in Aspen Music Festival and School, and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

2011

Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 4pm
Old First Church
1751 Sacramento Street at Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco

Billboard #1 artist Joshua Wright has delighted audiences across the United States and in Europe . His self-titled album “Josh Wright” topped the Billboard Classical Traditional chart just three weeks after its release in April 2011. Josh currently attends the University of Utah , studying under Dr. Susan Duehlmeier, finishing his Master of Music degree. Josh is also a private student of world-renowned concert pianist, Sergei Babayan. Josh was the gold medalist at the 2010 Seattle International Piano Competition. He was also the first prize winner of the 2010 American Protége International Competition of Romantic Music ( New York , NY ), and the second prize winner of the 2011 Music Teachers National Association National Competition ( Milwaukee , WI ). He recently competed in the International Chopin Piano Competition Preliminaries ( Warsaw , Poland ), the Gina Bachauer International Artists Competition ( Salt Lake City , Utah ), and the National Chopin Competition ( Miami , Florida ). He has won top honors and competed in numerous other competitions including the New York Piano Competition, the Louisiana International Piano Competition, the Julia Crane International Piano Competition, the National Federation of Music Clubs Competition, the Pinault International Recording Competition, the Music Teachers National Association National Competition, The Stravinsky Awards International Piano Competition, the National Music Teachers Association Stillman Kelly competition, and the Eastman International Piano Competition. Josh has appeared nine times with symphony orchestras including: the Utah Symphony, the Salt Lake Symphony, the Summer Arts Orchestra, and the University of Utah Student Chamber Orchestra. Josh has participated in master classes with numerous concert pianists, including Menahem Pressler, Garrick Ohlsson, Sergei Babayan, Nelita True, and Ian Hobson. Josh was also the piano double on the TV show “Everwood.”

The distinguished pianist Esther Keel has captured audiences around the world since making her debut with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the age of 13. Since then, she has concertized throughout Europe, Russia , the United States and Canada . Ms Keel has appeared in Kennedy Center in Washington , D.C. , Lincoln Center 's Alice Tully Hall in New York , Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and abroad at the Kurhaus Bad Aussee in Austria , Teatro Guglielmi in Italy and the Polish Embassy in Moscow . Among Esther Keel's numerous competition honors are top prizes in the Moscow International Chopin Competition, Washington International Piano Competition, Ostra International Piano Competition in Italy , Juilliard Concerto Competition, Korean International Music Foundation Competition and the Cleveland International Piano Competition.

2009

Sunday, February 22, 2009 at 4pm
Old First Church
Van Ness Avenue and Sacramento Street, San Francisco

Tao Lin, pianist

Program:

Mozart Fantasy in C minor, K. 475

Chopin Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23

Schubert Fantasy in C Major, Op. 15, D. 760 "Wanderer"

Intermission

Chopin Four Mazurkas, Op. 68

Chopin Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58

Bio:

Born into a musical family in Shanghai, China, Tao Lin entered the Shanghai Conservatory at the age of eight. His rapid progress resulted
in numerous competition prizes, including the Alexander Tcherepnin Award.

Mr. Lin made his European début in 1995 with a concert tour of Norway. Enthusiastically received by critics and audiences, he was invited back
for another tour in 1997. He has been soloist with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony, Miami Chamber Orchestra and Knoxville Civic Orchestra, among others.

He moved to Florida in 1990 to pursue undergraduate studies under Roberta Rust at the Harid Conservatory (where he received the Award for
Outstanding Performance) and graduate studies under Ivan Davis at the University of Miami. As winner of each school's concerto competition,
he performed Mozart's Concerto No. 24 and Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and was a prize winner in the competitions of the National Society of Arts and Letters, the Music Teachers National Association and Florida Symphonic Pops and in the Eighth Annual Palm
Beach International Invitational Piano Competition. Mr. Lin has also studied with Leon Fleisher, Joseph Kalichstein, Stephen Hough, John
Perry, Rita Sloan and David Northington.

A devoted chamber musician, Mr. Lin has appeared with the Miami, Bergonzi, Alcon, and Rosalyra String Quartets as well as with
distinguished musicians such as Eugenia Zukerman, Ida Haendel, Charles Castleman, Roberta Peters, and Philip Quint. He has performed in the
Aspen, Round Top, Sanibel and Highlands Music Festivals, and four times in the Mainly Mozart Festival in Miami, where he now makes his home. He spends the summer months at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Maine.

Mr. Lin was awarded top prizes in the competitions of the National Society of Arts and Letters, the Music Teacher’s National Association,
Palm Beach International Invitational amongst others. He was also a finalist in the 1st International Piano-e-Competition and the 1st Osaka
International Chamber Music Competition as a member of the Shanghai Trio.

www.taolin.net

2008

Sunday, February 24, 2008 at 2pm
Old First Church
Van Ness Avenue and Sacramento Street, San Francisco

Program:
Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)

Variations on a national theme by Moore, for piano 4 hands
Hilda Huang, Hugo Kitano

Sunday, February 25, 2007 at 4pm
Old First Church
Van Ness Avenue and Sacramento Street, San Francisco

Soyeon Lee, pianist

Program:
Bach Prelude and Fugue in C sharp Major from WTC Book II

Chopin Barcarolle, Op.60

Mozart Sonata K.330

Chopin Waltz in F Major Op.34 No.3
Waltz in A Minor, Op.34 No.2
Waltz in A Flat Major, Op.42

intermission

Chopin Two Noctournes Op.55

Scriabin Fantasy in B minor, Op.28

Chopin Ballade in F minor, Op.52

Bio:

Lauded by The Washington Post for her "stunning command of the keyboard," pianist Soyeon Lee is a winner of the 2004 Concert Artists Guild International Competition. Her rapturous playing has brought numerous other successes including top prizes at the Cleveland International Piano Competition and the Paloma O'Shea Santander International Piano Competition. At 26, having already worked with conductors such as Jahja Ling, Otto-Werner Mueller and Rafael Frabeck de Burgos and orchestras such as the Cleveland Orchestra and London Symphony, Ms. Lee continues to bring her unique power and sensitivity to audiences around the world.

Recently described by The New York Times as a pianist with "a huge, richly varied sound, a lively imagination and a firm sense of style," highlights of Ms. Lee's 2007-08 season include her recital debut at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall on the CAG series and the opening recital of Merkin Concert Hall's Tuesday matinee series, as well as performances with the Louisiana Philharmonic, Scottsdale Symphony and with the Napa Valley Symphony.

An avid chamber musician, Ms. Lee collaborates with the Parker String Quartet in fall 2007, with concerts for the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, CA, and Music in the Park in St. Paul, MN. Last season she participated in a residency at the Laguna Beach Chamber Music Festival, featuring concerts with bassist Edgar Meyer and a critically acclaimed Mozart concerto for piano and strings. She has also performed at the Montreal Chamber Music Festival and the Taos Chamber Music Festival. Among Ms. Lee's most recent collaborative projects are joint performances in Seoul with her pop-star sister, Soeun Lee.

Soyeon Lee's past concert appearances include her Lincoln Center recital debut at Alice Tully Hall as the recipient of The Juilliard School's prestigious William Petschek Piano Debut Award, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on the CAG/Winners Series, the Kennedy Center, Ravinia's Bennett Gordon Hall, Severance Hall in Cleveland, Auditorio de Musica de Nacional in Madrid and Baek-Am Art Hall in Seoul. As a concerto soloist, she has been heard with the San Diego Symphony, Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional (Dominican Republic), Shreveport Symphony, Columbus Symphony Orchestra and the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony.

Ms. Lee was featured on the January 2006 cover of SYMPHONY Magazine's annual Emerging Artists issue and her debut CD for Naxos, featuring sonatas of Scarlatti, was released in February 2007. Ms. Lee has been heard live on WQXR New York's McGraw-Hill Young Artists Showcase and WNYC's Soundbytes with John Schaefer, as well as recorded performances on NPR and WGMS in Washington DC and WCLV in Cleveland. A classical music documentary featuring Ms. Lee, called "Classic Club," has been aired nationally in Japan on NHK.

Soyeon Lee began studying piano at age five in Korea. She moved to the US at age nine and attended the Interlochen Arts Academy, graduating with highest honors in music. Her early teachers included Victoria Mushkatkol and Marina di Pretoro. Ms. Lee earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from The Juilliard School, studying with Jerome Lowenthal and Robert McDonald. While at Juilliard she earned the distinguished Artist Diploma, won the Rachmaninoff Concerto Competition, two consecutive Gina Bachauer Scholarship Competitions and was awarded the Helen Fay Prize, Arthur Rubinstein Prize and the Susan Rose Career Grant.

Hungarian pianist Balazs (Ba-lahge) Szokolay (So-ko-la-i) was born in Budapest in 1961, began his formal piano studies at the age of five, and later enrolled in the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, where his teachers included Zoltan Kocsis and composers Pal Kadosa and Gyorgy Kurtag.

Following his graduation in 1983, Szokolay was awarded scholarships for two additional years of studies in Munich and Moscow. He went on to win prizes at international competitions, including Leeds, Brussels, Montreal, Munich, Glasgow, Zwikau, and Budapest. Since 1987, he has been professor of piano at the Liszt Academy (now University).

Szokolay has given recitals, appeared with orchestras, and conducted master classes in more than thirty countries on four continents. His repertoire covers a wide range of styles and eras. Also, he frequently judges competitions, most recently in Holland, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, and Dubai. In 1997-98, he was guest professor at Yeungnam University in South Korea.

He has made radio and television recordings for, among others, BBC, London; RIAS, Berlin; TROS, Holland; RAI, Turin; CBS, Canada; and Hungarian Radio and Television. He has also recorded for Hungaraton and Naxos. One of his Grieg CDs was named "Record of the Year" in London. In 2001, Szokolay was awarded the Liszt Prize by the Hungarian Government.

In Spring, 2006, Balazs Szokolay will be a guest professor at Montclair University in New Jersey.